Shashi Twitteroor:To what end?

The unexpected re-election of the UPA for the second term gave the Congress Party a new mandate to change their old and haggard image by inducting some younger, progressive, modern educated professionals into the Cabinet. We find this, for example, in the appointment of first-time Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor as the Minister of State for External Affairs.

Tharoor, a well-known columnist and writer, had been a career diplomat in the United Nations until his successful foray into Indian politics early this year. Today, he is perhaps better known for his twittering skills than for his diplomacy. He used his twitter account during this electoral campaign. He is the first Indian to have more than 10,000 followers. He is the only politician and minister in the Union Cabinet who has a verified account with Twitter and tweets almost daily. No wonder he is often referred to as Shashi Twitteroor.

Twitter, however, is not new to politicians abroad. US President Barack Obama has nearly 1.6 million followers. And even the mayor of San Francisco in the United States, Gavin Newsom, has over 630,000 followers.

The English-speaking computer-friendly public appreciates the regularity and transparency found in Tharoor’s tweets. It gives them a direct insight into the daily life of an Indian parliamentarian. It familiarizes them with tasks accomplished and opinions of their Minister. This way it does create a sense of accountability. Tharoor’s twitter page mirrors a journal or a task list. Often addressed as the Minister of Twitter, Tharoor has confessed that his tweets are also intended to broaden the foreign policy discussion in India.

Tharoor has been in the news for reacting sarcastically and wittily, sometimes also childishly, to many events. For example, his response to the Congress Party’s push for austerity measures reveals a side of his character that is difficult to reconcile for many of the old-timers in politics. Recognizing the seriousness of the country’s worst drought and fiscal deficit, the Congress President Sonia Gandhi had recently called on politicians to contribute a certain proportion of their salaries to drought relief. She wanted the Party to respect the commitment to the “aam admi”. This was when it was found that Shashi Tharoor was staying in the lavish Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi as he found the government accommodation provided to him quite lacking in the basics. It did not have a gymnasium. Tharoor, of course, moved out quickly and also clarified that he was paying for the hotel accommodation out of his personal funds – not using public money. Many sniggered at his lack of sensitivity to the aam admi by staying in such luxury when millions were dying of starvation. The Congress Party then requested all its politicians to fly economy and not business class. When a fan asked him about his reaction to flying “cattle class” to which he tweeted back, “Absolutely, in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows”.

Instantly Tharoor was accused of elitism and classism. The charge did not stem from the use of the term ‘holy cows’ as cows are considered to be holy in India. On the contrary, some of the Congress leaders were upset that Tharoor referred to all of them as ‘cattle’. This was absolutely insensitive and shocking. Tharoor was pulled up for his “indecent comments’ and he immediately apologized. Ironically the dictionary defines economy class as cattle class as well.

Was this indecency on the part of Tharoor? Not at all. On the contrary, he hit politicians where it hurts most – for hypocrisy and double standards. Tharoor is unusually frank, open and transparent – qualities not easily found in many veteran politicians. Many are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide. They profess to be teetotalers in public but enjoy their drinks every day. They may wear khadi but have no problems driving around in BMWs. They may travel by train but buy the most expensive perfumes. Tharoor rightly questions this insincerity.

Tharoor has also opened up the question of the freedom (in this case the lack of it) available to politicians. It is true that social networking sites are the new age medium of savvy communications, but is it fair to criticize individuals for their opinions on such networks? Should politicians be frank and fearless or succumb to the wily ways of the old-timers?

Tharoor is definitely bitten by the twitter bug! I hope this epidemic spreads rapidly. It will be one epidemic that will be good for democracy and India.

India After Indira - I

Indira Gandhi will be remembered more for her high-handedness and disrespect for civil and political freedoms than for her contribution to India’s development. Many of the persistent flaws of Indian politics can be traced to the Indira regime. Rampant factionalism, corruption and bribery, party-switching, high-handedness of public servants and disregard for the law which grew and flourished under Indira Gandhi continue to this day.

The quality of democractic practice was seriously weakened by the lip-service that the Congress government under Indira Gandhi paid to poverty alleviation. The garibi hatao slogan virtually became a garib hatao movement with her son Sanjay Gandhi forcefully evicting slum-dwellers and sterilizing the poor in the name of ‘population control.’ Even today, we see very similar tactics being employed by the Indian State in dealing with forest-dwellers and tribal communities. Similarly, superficial attention has been paid by the State to poverty, ill-health, illiteracy, malnutrition and poor living conditions – perpetuating, in many senses, the legacy of Indira Gandhi. This is the paradox of India’s recent development. While the economy has enjoyed unprecedented growth, millions continue to suffer the worst forms of human deprivation. The insensitivity of the State can once again be traced back to Indira Gandhi’s callous attitude towards the poor.

Even more disturbing is the shocking manner in which Indira Gandhi dealt with issues of minority communities in India. Her tenure as Prime Minister was marked by a serious breakdown in Hindu-Sikh relations. The situation was handled so badly that some Sikhs led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale demanded a separate Khalistan where their sovereignty would be recognized. In June 1984, Indira Gandhi ordered Operation Blue Star - a military assault on Amritsar's holy Harmander Sahib or the Golden Temple, the central Sikh place of worship, which had been occupied by Bhindranwale and his militant supporters. The occupants refused to surrender and a fierce fight ensued in which 83 soldiers and 493 Sikhs were killed. Many more were injured. It was only much later through a process of dialogue and reconciliation that the Sikh problem was resolved. It is unfortunate that the Indian State has not learned any lessons and continues to follow the Indira approach of suppressing opposition, not understanding the root causes, and adopting military solutions. This is apparent, for instance, in the way the State is dealing with the Maoist rebellion and tribal issues across the country.

Abuse of State power to suppress justice which flourished under Indira Gandhi during the emergency days is practiced even now. Take the case of how the State dealt with the aftermath of the anti-Sikh riots that broke out in Delhi and elsewhere following the assassination of Mrs. Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguard on October 31, 1984. What followed was organized massacre of innocent people to avenge the death of Mrs. Gandhi. Police and state inaction led to the killing of over 4,000 innocent Sikhs. It is well documented that many members of the ruling Congress party instigated street violence in the form of anti-Sikh riots after her death. Even more disturbing has been the way the State has dealt with bringing justice to people by subverting the judicial process, appointing tainted judges to head commissions of enquiry and delaying the verdict. In 20 years, nine commissions and committees have inquired into the riots. There has been no outcome so far. This displays a blatant lack of seriousness about delivering justice and punishing the guilty. It also shows a complete lack of concern or interest in the rehabilitation of the victims. It has not only tainted the image of the Congress Party but it has also dangerously encouraged the likes of Narendra Modi to practice State-sponsored acts of violence against minority communities.

In retrospect, we owe a lot to Indira Gandhi from whom we can learn what not to do than what best to do for India’s progress.

India after Indira -II

If Nehru was an ardent champion of a free Press, his daughter Indira Gandhi was quite the opposite. She had little respect for civil and political freedoms. By declaring Emergency and foisting an authoritarian regime on an unsuspecting nation on June 26, 1975, she betrayed the enormous faith that people had reposed in her. She adopted unconstitutional means to suspend all rights and liberties, restrict free speech, and arrest prominent dissidents – political opponents, trade union leaders and more than 250 journalists.

The Press was prohibited from publishing any objectionable materials or news items against the Government. All newspapers had to get news items cleared by the Censor Board prior to publication. Government officials were deputed to enforce strict compliance. The Press Council of India – an autonomous body set up in 1966 to preserve and maintain the freedom of the press – was abolished. To top it all, a ban was imposed on reporting the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament.

The Press retaliated in many different ways. The Tribune beat the censorship requirement by placing soft stories on the front page and more critical hard-hitting stories in the middle of the paper. The Indian Express was more open in its protest. It would leave blank columns in the newspaper’s pages in order to convey to the readers that these portions of the newspaper had been forcibly deleted by the Government.

This did not go down well with the Government. To make matters worse, the Government cut off electricity and water connections to the Indian Express offices in Delhi and arranged for an eviction notice to be issued by the owner of the building. However, this only made Goenka, publisher of the Indian Express, intensify his crusade against Indira Gandhi.

On the other hand, newspapers that complied with the restrictions like the Times of India and Hindustan Times were rewarded with more advertisements and preferential treatment in the allocation of imported newsprint.

It is a pity that Mrs. Gandhi failed to recognize the empowering and vital role that the Press played in a democracy by disseminating truthful information and acting as watchdogs for ensuring justice. Instead she chose to strangulate and manipulate this medium.

Press freedoms were restored only after the withdrawal of emergency in 1977. This dark period in India’s media history has had one important fallout. It has reinforced the resolve of the press to fiercely guard its freedoms.

Today the Press is rightly considered the fourth Pillar of democracy. It acts as a powerful medium that brings to the world unbiased, unadulterated, and ethically correct news. The Press has played a powerful role in drawing attention to human crises on more than one occasion. Amartya Sen, for instance, points out that famines seldom occur in democracies with a free Press as political leaders and administrators are forced to respond when the media draws their attention to the suffering of millions. Similarly, the Indian Press has actively championed environmental issues and also stood up for justice as in the case the Jessica Lall murder and many bribery scams. The Press has become a powerful and essential medium for sharing informing and stimulating public action. Casting a dark shadow on the Press or curtailing its freedoms can only be lethal for democracy.